Philosophy of mind Books

Book SynopsisThis edited collection gathers together erudite and considered contributions from Salman Akhtar, Cobi Avshalom, Brett Clarke, Mali Mann, Gila Ofer, Thomas Ogden, Louis Rothschild, Batya Shoshani, Michael Shoshani, Naama Shoshani-Breda, Ann Smolen, Donald Spence, Richard Waugaman, Thomas Wolman, and Vamık D. Volkan. Fifteen distinguished authors bring together their vast experience as psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, social workers, and psychotherapists to present a nuanced and in-depth investigation into the concept of truth. Divided into five parts, the book begins with a thoughtful discussion from Brett Clarke on what truth means and its role in psychoanalysis. It then moves into the realm of development, looking at truth from the viewpoint of children, adolescents, and adults. Stepping from development to culture, the works of Shakespeare, Heidegger and Freud are brought into the debate alongside the relationship of truth with individual and large-group psychology. Next come four chapters taking ‘truth’ into the clinical realm, grounding theory in practice. The book is brought to completion by an epilogue from Louis Rothschild answering the vital question: ‘Truly, what does all this mean?’ A must-read book for practising clinicians and academics in the mental health and humanities fields that investigates the wide range of theories on truth, how they have changed over the years, and their practical applications.Trade ReviewBion said that the psyche needs truth to grow the way the body needs alimentation. But what is truth in psychoanalysis? To whom does it belong and by what means do we come to know it? Is truth found? Created? Given the ineffable quality of psychic reality, the determination of what is true in the clinical situation is complex and can be very elusive. Both analyst and patient are inevitably confronted with the “essential, constitutive tension at the heart of [psychoanalytic] theory” and must mediate “between a language of force and energy, on the one hand, and a language of reasons, intentions, and meanings, on the other.” This wide-ranging volume offers readers at all levels of analytic experience an encyclopedic and authoritative exploration of the problematics of truth that should prove essential for the continued development of our psychoanalytic theories and clinical models as we move forward into the twenty-first century. -- Howard B. Levine, MD Editor-in-Chief, The Routledge Wilfred R. Bion Studies Book Series, and co-editor of 'Autistic Phenomena and Unrepresented States: Explorations in the Emergence of Self'Truth has always been at the heart of psychoanalysis. But given its enigmatic nature and its location in the land of ghostly schemata, can we really arrive at it? What is “manufactured” truth and how is it to be thought of in the clinic where “narrative,” “historical,” and “poetic” truth jostle against each other? Here is a moving homage to this vexing subject by Salman Akhtar, who creates a prismatic meditation by weaving together essays that are as wide-ranging as they are lively and profound. -- Nilofer Kaul, PhD Training and Supervising Analyst, New Delhi, India, and author of 'Plato’s Ghost: Minus Links and Liminality in Psychoanalytic Practice'As Salman Akhtar points out in this volume, the notion of “truth” is something we tend to take for granted, but is in fact an ill-defined concept when one tries to pin it down. This volume brings together a number of distinguished psychoanalytic authors who challenge us to reassess our notions of truth, both within psychoanalysis and beyond. In this age of “alternative facts,” such a volume is sorely needed and will be of interest not only to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, but to those coming from the humanities as well. -- Dimitris J. Jackson, Training Analyst and Member, Hellenic Psychoanalytical Society, Representative, Europe Region, International Psychoanalytical AssociationTable of ContentsAcknowledgments About the editor and contributors Introduction Prologue 1. The meaning of ‘truth’ and the truth about ‘meaning’ in psychoanalysis Brett Clarke Part I: Developmental Realm 2. Children and truth Mali Mann 3. The search for truth in adolescent rebellion Ann Smolen 4. Truth in later life Thomas Wolman Part II: Cultural Realm 5. “Nothing is Truer than Truth” and Shakespeare Richard Waugaman 6. Explorations into truth, anxiety, and death by Heidegger and Freud Michael Shoshani, Batya Shoshani, and Naama Shoshani-Breda 7. Finding the truth in individual and large group psychology Vamık D. Volkan Part III: Clinical Realm 8. Narrative truth and theoretical truth Donald Spence 9. What is true and whose idea was it? Thomas Ogden 10. Truth heals, if one can tolerate it Cobi Avshalom and Gila Ofer 11. Seven types of truth and their clinical relevance Salman Akhtar Epilogue 12. Truly, what does all this mean? Louis Rothschild References Index

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Book SynopsisPsychoanalysis is, above all, the science of the emotions but, as yet, there is no single accepted theory of affects. Instead, there are many, all of them too limited, based, as they are, on idiosyncratic introspection. R. D. Hinshelwood presents an extensive scoping of the prominent theories from the philosophy of mind and academic psychology alongside a review of psychoanalytic ideas based on instinct theory or object relations. This wide review of divergent theories from various disciplines helps to mitigate variation and identify commonalities. From this scoping exercise, Hinshelwood creates a form of qualitative meta-analysis which enables the most common dimensions to come to the fore – namely, 113 features of affects form a more general theory with four dimensions. This more systematic view offers an affective ‘space’ as a model for thinking about the nature of affects, their origins, and their consequences. At the same time, Hinshelwood retains the personal. He starts with the memory which initiated his quest to understand how much we are rooted in the experience of our feelings and includes a chapter documenting his own idiosyncrasies to bring his own bias to the fore. In this way, the book preserves the especially personal and intimate quality of its universal topic.Trade ReviewR. D. Hinshelwood has a distinguished place in psychoanalysis and related fields. Deeply rooted in clinical practice, he has, over many years, encouraged a respect for objective knowledge of the subjective world, while retaining the aliveness of the psychoanalytic process, and he has shown us how to get to it. In this book, he applies his distinctive acumen to affects, the heart of human experience. What better place to grasp these dimensions together. We live in the immediacy of affects, they impel us to think and judge, we are social through them, and they are rooted in our bodies. Hinshelwood masterfully guides us into knowing them.’ -- Karl Figlio, clinical associate, British Psychoanalytical Society, and senior member, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy AssociationEmotions have been the Cinderella of philosophical, psychological, biological and psychoanalytic theories of the person. This, despite their being central to our subjective experience of ourselves and our relations to others. Bob Hinshelwood has written a masterful and lucid account of theories of emotion over 4000 years, and synthesised them into clusters of agreement and overlap. He goes on to evolve his own highly original formulation of emotions that captures both their subjective and bodily experience and their communicative function as existing in a metaphorical 3D mental space.. As in his previous writing, Hinshelwood describes complex ideas with great clarity. This important book will be of interest to philosophers, psychologists and psychoanalysts in providing an outstandingly clear guide to a central aspect of what it is to be human. -- Richard Rusbridger, training and supervising analyst and child analyst, British Psychoanalytical Society, and honorary reader, UCL‘The Mystery of Emotions: Seeking a Theory of What We Feel introduces a bold thesis: affects which have often seemed to be like an accumulation of mess of whatever is left over after the more well-thought processes have been used are more seriously meaningful. R. D. Hinshelwood takes us on a panoramic tour of the realm of emotions starting with the Greek philosophers through modern technology and artificial intelligence and up to politics, commerce, and psychoanalytic perspectives. The text is well organised, astute, and informative, and I would highly recommend it to my colleagues and students.’ -- Aner Govrin, professor and psychoanalyst, Bar-Ilan University, Israel'Hinshelwood presents a highly original model. His approach is methodological and analytical. [...] This analysis provides an intriguing perspective that is of intellectual value.' -- Kay Hoggett, MBACP (Accred), integrative counsellor, coach, and supervisorTable of ContentsAcknowledgements About the author Prologue: A happy little girl Part I. Introduction – What, and who for? 1. Theories and confusions 2. What we already know 3. Affects and cognition Part II. The hard work – A method 4. ‘Discoveries’ of four disciplines 5. Clusters and dimensions 6. A 3D space 7. Congruence and complementarity: the social role of affects 8. Exchange and being Epilogue: What are our results? References Index

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Book SynopsisFlourishing Love is a secular defence of marriage and long-term intimate partnership. It rejects a moral–religious code to govern love lives and instead puts its faith in the human potential for couples to be benevolent, loyal, and forgiving to preserve and enhance their romantic union. Dr Gnaulati draws on a variety of sources to present the joint emotional upkeep necessary to make an intimate relationship not just satisfactory, but vital, and to illustrate what these lasting bonds look like. The latest science, anecdotes from his own 30-year marriage as well as from his psychotherapy practice, the musings of ancient and contemporary philosophers, and real-life interviews from partners in long-term happy marriages and intimate unions are all used to reveal the secrets to a successful romantic partnership. The result is a how-to of engaging in attentive and sensitive communication; employing a fairness habit of mind around household chores, childrearing responsibilities, and finances; optimally moving through and beyond conflict; using humor to enhance closeness; keeping an erotic spark alive; and ethically handling urges to stray outside the couple. A must-read for all those who crave meaning, happiness, and fulfilment in life and need their romantic partnerships to help, not hinder, in this endeavour.Trade Review‘My first two marriages were based on extreme self-sacrifice, a sense of overbearing duty, and the hope that I could live up to the religious values of my parents and grandparents. Of course, these relationships fell apart. I wish I would have read Flourishing Love in my early twenties and avoided unnecessary heartache. I am married again and, with Enrico Gnaulati’s help, giving lasting love another shot, this time with the understanding that settling into love is not the same as settling for less.’ -- John Kaag, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell and author of 'Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are'‘At last, a book on marriages that endure; one that stresses the depth and quality of relationships, along with their quantity in years. Enrico Gnaulati’s Flourishing Love is a breath of fresh air for those of us who have been blessed with enduring, quality marriages. In this era of quick fixes and fleeting encounters, Gnaulati’s voice is a welcome counternarrative, particularly for those who have become cynical about the virtues – or even possibilities – of gratifying, lasting bonds. Replete with examples and humanistic sensibilities, Flourishing Love is a must for anyone yearning for deep and enduring partnership.’ -- Kirk Schneider, President of the Existential-Humanistic Institute and author of 'Life-Enhancing Anxiety: Key to a Sane World'‘With humor, frankness, and wisdom born of deep personal and therapeutic experience, Enrico Gnaulati – in equal parts philosopher and psychologist – teaches us how to be better lovers and partners. Every married couple should read this book in bed together. Belongs on the bedside table with Stendhal’s On Love and The Joy of Sex.’ -- Clancy Martin, Professor of Philosophy, University of Missouri–Kansas City and author of 'How Not to Kill Yourself: A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind''Enrico Gnaulati delivers a clear and comprehensive guide to flourishing long-lasting intimate relationships in a witty and approachable style. [...] Flourishing Love: A Secular Guide to Lasting Intimate Relationships is a frank and grounded self-help book. The use of cultural references, comedian’s quips and anecdotes opens up the conversation while highlighting that anyone that may be experiencing these problems are far from alone. The guidance offered promotes mutual respect and communication, the path to a flourishing relationship is laid out in a way that feels not only approachable but achievable. I wouldn’t say that there were any ground-breaking claims made throughout the book, but it serves as a potent reminder that not neglecting the little things is vital in a successful relationship. A book for those in a relationship to refresh and assess their foundations and an interesting read for those looking for a relationship to guide them moving forward.' -- LoveReading, 2023'Gnaulati, pulls from an exceptionally wide range of literature, clinical experience, and his own life to build the readers agency to write or rewrite their own conceptualization of life, love, and successful relationships. Written with a clear audience in mind Gnaulati is precise in his goal of empowering emerging to early adults to find their own narrative around relationships that serves their own relational goals. [...] As a clinician, this book is light on theory but well researched and full of interesting studies and philosophical insights about human relationships. The writing is pragmatic, engaging, and thoughtful. Gnaulati strikes a non-judgmental tone to create a space for the reader to consider their own experiences in the context and framework of the book's narrative.' -- McKenna Walsh, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2024Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One Aspiring to flourishing love Chapter Two Surviving domesticity Chapter Three Doing conflict well Chapter Four Humor me Chapter Five Lust is a must Chapter Six Wrangling with roving desires Chapter Seven Getting the right sort of help

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Book SynopsisPsychoanalysis is a valuable tool to add to the sciences and the arts: all contain unconscious hidden depths that can become insight and understanding and contribute to humanity as culture. Using the prism of art, music, and storytelling, Jonathan Sklar takes psychoanalytic thought to a wide audience to enable a greater understanding of humanity.

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Book SynopsisHappiness has been used as guide to the good life for thousands of years. It can, however, just as easily lead us awry as direct us towards a life well lived. We must learn to see happiness as something more nuanced and differentiated. By doing so the target we set up can bring us much more life satisfaction. This is not to deny the importance of happiness, we just need to see our aim more clearly. Many attempts to deal with the vast amount of psychological pain that exists in the world today have been to look at what causes distress. A new field of positive psychology has emerged which then tries to look at the issue from the other end of the telescope and look at what makes people happy. This book is an attempt to understand happiness philosophically: what it is, how we are responsible for it and what we can do to get more of it. Happiness is our alarm to detect good. These alarms, though, are often set to detect what is bad, so we don’t even see what is good. We also often see good as something we need to possess and control to extract that feeling of happiness. We then expunge any feeling of good. By changing how we view good, we can change our experience of happiness to something more controllable and enduring.

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Book SynopsisTwo pioneers in health - Dr Deepak Chopra and Prof Rudolph E. Tanzi, one of the world's foremost experts on the causes of Alzheimer's - share a bold new understanding of the brain and a prescriptive plan for how we can use it to achieve physical, mental and spiritual well-being. In his bestselling books Ageless Body, Timeless Mind and Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, Deepak Chopra reveals 'the forgotten miracle' - the body's infinite capacity for change and renewal. Now, Chopra focuses his attention on a part of the body undergoing intense study and radical reevaluation: the brain. No one is better able to share the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience than preeminent neurologist Rudolph E. Tanzi and, together, Chopra and Tanzi present a new vision of the brain together with a practical plan for how to use it to achieve higher levels of success and fulfilment. They contend that by using techniques and skills such as mindfulness, intention and meditation, we can create new neural pathways in the brain. Thus, we can transform it into our most powerful tool for achieving health, happiness and enlightenment.Trade ReviewSensible tips -- Oliver Burkeman * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisArtificial intelligence changes everything. This book encourages readers to consider the challenges of the digital transformation driven by Artificial Intelligence. The reader will discover why this transformation is to be regarded as the greatest cultural revolution since the invention of mass printing and how it can be shaped positively in a value-oriented way. The author pursues the thesis that intelligent objects on the internet, as well as physical objects, are attaining their own consciousness. Using many examples, he shows how these digital companions become our digital partners. This non-fiction book provides many suggestions for one's own living and working environment and is full of examples of how artificial intelligence systems can be implemented. The reader learns what is already possible today and what can be expected in the next ten to twenty years. The book is of interest to anyone interested in AI and the digital transformation - from those responsible in companies, public institutions, and in politics, to all teachers and parents who want to understand what the next generation can expect.Trade Review“This book might be worth reading for someone who wants to inform themselves about the challenges of coming digital transformations (including AI) in popular style … .” (G. Haring, Computing Reviews, August 11, 2022)Table of ContentsChapter 1 . It's all about us.- Chapter 2 . The Objects of This World Become Intelligent .- chapter 3. How did Artificial Intelligence come into being and where do we stand today? .- Chapter 4. Can Machines have their own Consciousness? .- Chapter 5. The Homo Zappiens .- Chapter 6. The Inverse Gutenberg Revolution .- Chapter 7. The Age of Hybrid Intelligence .- Chapter 8. The Digital System Landscape .- Chapter 9. On the Way to new Business models .- Chapter 10. Artificial Intelligence is a Gamechanger of all Jobs .- Chapter 11. Everything is linked to everything and becomes transparent .- Chapter 12. The ethical and legal Implications .- Chapter 13. Guidelines for the necessary Redesign of our regulatory Systems in Industry and Society .

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewChomsky's writings invariably reflect the force of intellect and cogency of thought that befits one of the greatest thinkers of our times—this work is no exception. -- Robert May, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy & Linguistics, University of California, DavisNoam Chomsky is arguably the most influential thinker of our time, having made seminal contributions to linguistics and philosophy, as well as political and social thought. In one succinct and powerfully argued volume, he presents a synthesis of his key ideas. -- Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard UniversityNoam Chomsky launches this remarkable discussion with the age old question, "What kind of creatures are we?" Thus begins an extended inquiry into human cognition that takes him from the ancients to contemporary theorists of language and science, to politics. Chomsky's erudition is formidable, and I read his disquisition with pleasure and many "aha' moments. But what stands out for me is his wisdom; he accepts that being mere biological creatures, there is much that we can never know, and yet he is deeply empathetic with us, his fellow creatures who must struggle and try to impact our world, even though we ultimately cannot know. -- Frances Fox Piven, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Graduate Center of the City University of New YorkIt's always spring in Mr. Chomsky's garden. Like John Ashbery, Noam Chomsky seems to come up with thoughts that are always fresh, unaffected by the polluting clichés that most of us inhale and exhale all day and night. To read his sentences is a life-giving elixir. -- Wallace Shawn, author, EssaysEngaging. * Library Journal *Recommended. * Choice *A rewarding and challenging read. * PsycCritiques *Differentiating between problems, which we can solve, and mysteries, which we cannot, Chomsky concludes that the relationship between brain and consciousness may well be a mystery. Still, we can explore. -- Jackson Lears * London Review of Books *This work is elemental; it touches and hints at some fundamental thoughts at the pivot of our existence and it invites the reader to pursue detailed studies of linguistics, hermeneutics, ethics, and metaphysics. Chomsky often speaks the mind of the readers. -- Editor * Prabuddha Bharata *Table of ContentsForeword1. What Is Language?2. What Can We Understand?3. What Is the Common Good?4. The Mysteries of Nature: How Deeply Hidden?NotesIndex

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Book SynopsisPaul Thagard explores the physiological workings and metaphorical resonance of balance in the brain, the body, and society. Bridging philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, Balance shows how an unheralded concept’s many meanings illuminate the human condition.Trade ReviewFrom the absolutely literal—how a brain out of balance brings on vertigo—to a dizzying range of metaphors spanning science, medicine, politics, literature, and art, Balance connects it all. The distinguished philosopher Paul Thagard applies his keen analytic skills to sort the all-pervasive metaphors of balance into the strong, the bogus, and the downright toxic. Like a balanced fine wine, Balance is to be enjoyed. -- Keith Holyoak, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesThagard presents a clever juxtaposition of the physical context of balance and a broader insertion of balance as a metaphorical tool, exploring important aspects of science and philosophy alike. Unique, synthetic, and compelling. -- Robert DeSalle, author of Our Senses: An Immersive ExperienceFrom sub-atomics to global warming, neurons to societies, theory to practice—even COVID to consciousness—Balance is satisfyingly vast. Thagard’s polymathic, interdisciplinary, approachable writing produces myriad insights (regarding religion, economics, politics, Trump, tipping points, toxic metaphors, “alternative facts,” etc.). Balance aptly centralizes equilibria (and sometimes helpful imbalances!) within humanity. Integrating even art, emotions, and health (e.g., avoiding falls, anti-vaxxers, and climate change), Balance boosts readers’ intellects. Breezy-yet-deep definitions complement innumerable identity-changing explanations—particularly about how Thagard’s “metabalance” helps reveal life’s meaning. -- Michael A. Ranney, University of California BerkeleyExceptionally well written, organized and presented for both an academic and non-specialist general readership. * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Balancing Bodies and Lives2. Balance and the Brain3. Vertigo, Nausea, and Falls4. Consciousness5. How Metaphors Work6. Nature7. Medicine8. Society9. The Arts10. PhilosophyAppendix: Balance and Imbalance MetaphorsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisDrawing on a range of hard evidence, Neil Van Leeuwen shows that the psychological mechanisms underlying religious belief are the same as those enabling imaginative play. He argues that we should therefore understand religious belief as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express the values sacred to them.Trade ReviewThis brilliant and controversial book reframes our understanding of faith. Van Leeuwen captures the complex nature of faith commitments accurately and with deft philosophical insight. He sees what people do—not what they think they do. -- T. M. Luhrmann, author of How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible OthersThis is an important and richly stimulating book, perhaps the most important on the science of religion for a decade or more. It is required reading for philosophers of mind and religion, for those who work on the psychology of religion, and for all thoughtful people who care about the role of faith in public life. -- Neil Levy, author of Bad Beliefs: Why They Happen to Good PeopleNeil Van Leeuwen takes readers on a journey from children’s playgrounds to cave art, from imaginary friends to ghosts and gods, drawing on philosophy, psychology, and anthropology to mount a provocative argument that will delight some readers and vex others, but offer a worthwhile adventure for all. -- Tania Lombrozo, Princeton UniversityThis is a bold and persuasive effort to show that religious beliefs should not be conflated with straightforward factual beliefs. The argument is vigorous and combative. It will provoke lively and helpful discussion, especially among scholars of religion and philosophers willing to venture beyond standard analyses of belief. -- Paul L. Harris, author of Child Psychology in Twelve QuestionsMaintaining that religious beliefs and factual beliefs about the everyday world constitute different cognitive attitudes, Neil Van Leeuwen advances a theory that deftly integrates critical findings and insights from philosophy, cognitive science, anthropology, and history. This wonderful book glistens with careful argumentation, splendid clarity, consistent fairness, striking erudition, and what, ultimately, is remarkable wisdom. -- Robert N. McCauley, author of Why Religion is Natural and Science is NotA groundbreaking book that makes a substantial contribution to the scientific study of religion. Van Leeuwen’s distinction between factual beliefs and religious credences will help us make sense of some of the thorniest puzzles in the field. -- Jonathan Lanman, Queen’s University Belfast

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book excels in revealing how very modern the ancient world was in some respects, and yet how delightfully different in many other ways. . . .[A] most enjoyable book."---David Smith, Classics For All"Dr Van Schaik’s book is a valuable contribution. The introduction is very well written and informative, especially for those unfamiliar with Galen and ancient Greek Medicine. It details Galen’s early life and medical training, including a graphic description of his appointment, by the chief priest, as physician to the gladiators in Pergamum. It will be particularly useful to medical students and is highly recommended."---Spyros Retsas, British Society for the History of Medicine

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Popular books on the illusion of self tend to be crass and sensationalist, the academic ones dull and turgid. Jay L. Garfield has successfully followed the less trodden middle way. As a result, the promise of losing yourself in a book has never been more literal."---Julian Baggini, Times Literary Supplement"Passionate, logical, and thought-provoking."---David Greder, Reading Religion"Incisive. . . .This book makes a valuable contribution."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer

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Book SynopsisThe Transmission of Affect deals with the belief that the emotions and energies of one person or group can be absorbed by or can enter directly into another.Trade ReviewBrennan challenges what she views as a uniquely Western myth, that individuals are discrete and self-contained, with affect driven primarily from endogenous sources. Instead, she argues, humans absorb emotions that originate from others and that influence their very physiology and experience. This argument challenges the boundaries that are often assumed to exist between the self and the environment, between subject and object. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface ix Introduction: Crossing the Species Divide 1 The Animal God • Animism • Feral Religion • God of Beak and Feathers 1. Song of the Wood Thrush 20 The Singing Monk of the Crum Woods • Nature Religion • The Pigeon God • Sacred Animals • Christian Animism • Divine Subscendence • Avian Spirit Possession • Return to the Crum Woods 2. The Delaware River Basin 50 Toxic Tour • Heidegger’s Root Metaphors • Calling Spirit from the Deep • Sacrament of Dirt and Spit • Girard’s Fear of Monstrous Couplings • Green Mimesis • The Pileated Woodpecker 3. Worshipping the Green God 81 Crum Creek Visitation • Christian History • Jesus and Sacred Land • Augustine and Natalist Wonder • Hildegard’s Viriditas Pneumatology • Rewilding Christian Worship 4. “Come Suck Sequoia and Be Saved” 113 John Muir’s Christianimism • Indian Removal in Yosemite • The Great Code • The Water Ouzel • The Two Books • Sequoia Religion • “Christianity and Mountainanity Are Streams from the Same Fountain” 5. On the Wings of a Dove 141 Sagebrush Requiem • Is Earth a Living Being? • Suffering Earth • Refreshment and Fragrance in the Hills • A Tramp for God • The Death of God • God on the Wing Acknowledgments 173 Notes 177 Index 205

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Book SynopsisRadical Botany uncovers a speculative tradition that conjures new languages to grasp the life of plants in all its specificity and vigor. Plants complement and challenge notions of human life. The book traces the implications of the speculative mobilization of plants within literature and art for feminism, queer studies, and posthumanist thought.Table of ContentsPreface | vii 1. Radical Botany: An Introduction | 1 2. Libertine Botany and Vegetal Modernity | 28 3. Plant Societies and Enlightened Vegetality | 56 4. The Inorganic Plant in the Romantic Garden | 86 5. The End of the World by Other Means | 114 6. Plant Horror: Love Your Own Pod | 144 7. Becoming Plant Nonetheless | 171 Acknowledgments | 203 Notes | 205 Works Cited | 253 Index | 269

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Book SynopsisPHILOSOPHY of MIND Philosophy of mind is an incredibly active field thanks in part to the recent explosion of work in the sciences of the mind. Jaworski's book is a well-written, comprehensive, and sophisticated primer on all the live positions on the mindbody problem, including various kinds of physicalism, emergentism, and his own favorite, hylomorphism. This is a serious and responsible book for philosophy students, philosophers, and mind scientists who want to understand where they stand philosophically.Owen Flanagan, Duke University Philosophy of Mind introduces readers to one of the liveliest fields in contemporary philosophy by discussing mindbody problems and the range of solutions to them: varieties of substance dualism, physicalism, dual-attribute theory, neutral monism, idealism, and hylomorphism. It treats each position fairly, in greater depth and detail than competing texts, and is written throughout in a clear, accessible style thatTrade Review"Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduate through graduate students." (Choice, 1 December 2011) Table of ContentsPreface. 1. Mind-Body Theories and Mind-Body Problems. Overview. 1.1 Mind and brain. 1.2 Mind-body theories. 1.3 Mind-body problems. 1.4 The problem of psychophysical emergence. 1.5 The problem of other minds. 1.6 The problem of mental causation. Further reading. 2. The Mental-Physical Distinction. Overview. 2.1 Mental vs. physical. 2.2 Physical phenomena. 2.3 First-person authority and subjectivity. 2.4 Qualia and phenomenal consciousness. 2.5 Intentionality, mental representation, and propositional attitudes. 2.6 Rationality. Further reading. 3. Substance Dualism. Overview. 3.1 Substance dualism: its claims and motivations. 3.2 The argument for substance dualism. 3.3 Objections to the argument for substance dualism. 3.4 Substance dualism and the problem of other minds. 3.5 The problem of interaction. 3.6 Noninteractionist views: parallelism and occasionalism. 3.7 The problem of explanatory impotence. 3.8 Substance dualism in perspective. Further reading. 4. The Physicalist Worldview. Overview. 4.1 What physicalism claims. 4.2 Varieties of physicalism: eliminative, reductive, and nonreductive. 4.3 Implications of physicalist theories. 4.4 Motivations for physicalism. 4.5 The argument for physicalism: past scientific success. 4.6 Hempel’s dilemma. 4.7 The knowledge argument. 4.8 Absent and inverted qualia. 4.9 Representational, higher-order, and sensorimotor theories of consciousness. Further reading. 5. Reductive Physicalism. Overview. 5.1 Behaviorism. 5.2 Arguments for and against behaviorism. 5.3 The theory model of psychological discourse. 5.4 The psychophysical identity theory. 5.5 Smart’s argument for the identity theory: Ockham’s razor. 5.6 Lewis’s argument for the identity theory: transitivity of identity. 5.7 Reductivism. 5.8 The multilevel worldview. Further reading. 6. Nonreductive Physicalism. Overview. 6.1 The multiple-realizability argument. 6.2 Reductivist responses to the multiple-realizability argument. 6.3 Functionalism. 6.4 Higher-order properties. 6.5 Functionalism versus the identity theory. 6.6 Functionalism and the nonreductivist consensus: realization physicalism. 6.7 Troubles with functionalism: liberalism and qualia. 6.8 The Chinese room. 6.9 The embodied mind objection to functionalism. 6.10 Kim’s trilemma. 6.11 Supervenience physicalism. 6.12 The exclusion argument. 6.13 Nonreductive physicalism in perspective. Further reading. 7. Eliminative Physicalism, Instrumentalism, and Anomalous Monism. Overview. 7.1 The argument for eliminativism. 7.2 The argument against eliminativism. 7.3 Instrumentalism. 7.4 Arguments for and against instrumentalism. 7.5 Anomalous monism. 7.6 The argument for anomalous monism. 7.7 Arguments against anomalous monism. Further reading. 8. Dual-Attribute Theory. Overview. 8.1 Dual-attribute theory vs. physicalism and substance dualism. 8.2 Nonorganismic dual-attribute theories. 8.3 Epiphenomenalism. 8.4 The argument for epiphenomenalism. 8.5 Do qualia exist?. 8.6 Dennett’s argument against qualia. 8.7 Wittgenstein’s private language argument. 8.8 Arguments against epiphenomenalism. 8.9 Explaining emergence: panpsychism, panprotopsychism, psychophysical laws and structure. 8.10 Emergentism. 8.11 Arguments for and against emergentism. 8.12 Dual-attribute theory in perspective. Further reading. 9. Idealism, Neutral Monism, and Mind-Body Pessimism. Overview. 9.1 Varieties of idealism. 9.2 The motivation and argument for ontological idealism. 9.3 Arguments against idealism. 9.4 Neutral monism . 9.5 The arguments for and against neutral monism. 9.6 Mind-body pessimism. Further reading. 10. The Hylomorphic Worldview. Overview. 10.1 What is hylomorphism?. 10.2 The hylomorphic worldview. 10.3 Organic composition and functional analysis. 10.4 The concept of organization. 10.5 Hylomorphism and the multilevel worldview. 10.6 Hylomorphism vs. physicalism and classic emergentism. 10.7 Causal pluralism. 10.8 The argument for hylomorphism. Further reading. 11. A Hylomorphic Theory of Mind. Overview. 11.1 Patterns of social and environmental interaction. 11.2 Rejecting inner minds. 11.3 Externalism. 11.4 Inner experiences versus sensorimotor exploration. 11.5 Disjunctivism. 11.6 Direct access, pattern recognition, and the problem of other minds. 11.7 Psychological language: pattern expression versus the theory model. 11.8 Hylomorphism versus behaviorism. 11.9 Embodiment. 11.10 Hylomorphism and the mental-physical dichotomy. 11.11 Hylomorphism and the problem of mental causation. 11.12 Hylomorphism and the problem of psychophysical emergence. 11.13 Arguments for and against a hylomorphic theory of mind. Further Reading. 12 Persons [Available online at www.wiley.com/go/jaworski]. 13 Free Will [Available online at www.wiley.com/go/jaworski]. Glossary. References. Acknowledgments. Index.

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Book SynopsisPhenomenology: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to one of the important philosophical movements of the twentieth century and to a subject that continues to grow and diversify. Yet it is also a challenging subject, the elements of which can be hard to grasp.This lucid book provides an introduction to the core ideas of phenomenology and to the arguments of its principal thinkers, including Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. Written by a leading expert in the field, Dan Zahavi examines and explains key questions such as: What is a phenomenological analysis? What are the methodological foundations of phenomenology? What does phenomenology have to say about intentionality, embodiment, intersubjectivity, and the lifeworld? How do ideas from classic phenomenology relate to ongoing debates in qualitative research and the cognitive sciences? This second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded. It

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Book SynopsisPhilosophy has much to offer psychiatry, not least regarding ethical issues, but also issues regarding the mind, identity, values, and volition. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry offers the most comprehensive reference resource for this area every published - one that is essential for both students and researchers in this field.Trade ReviewThe Handbook, both as history and analysis, will be indispensible to the growing number of philosophers engaged in traditional 'Morals' and the 'Philosophy of Mind' who feel the need to explore and make sense of the concepts of psychiatry. Psychiatry itself, still picking its way through internal confusions and dissensions, is turning more and more to philosophy, some of it highly obscure. For such practitioners, too, this book will be a wonderful tool. It is a timely and monumental work. * Mary Warnock *This handbook is another milestone in the International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry series. Its 73 chapters, grouped in 8 sections, deal with all aspects of the relation between philosophy and psychiatry from the perspectives of philosophers and a psychiatrists... The chapters are accessible for readers of different disciplines, philosophically illuminating and very helpful in broadening and deepening our understanding of the mental, of personhood and of psychic illness. They combine conceptual analysis with profound historical perspectives; and they discuss central notions in various contexts, thereby demonstrating the complexity of the issues and problems. For sure Philosophy and Psychiatry will soon become an irreplaceable source for everyone working in the field. * Michael Quante, Department of Philosophy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster *This invaluable collection brings together many of the most prominent figures in the philosophy of psychiatry. The volume is a testament to the high quality of research emerging from this rapidly expanding and relatively new field. The volume provides a helpful aerial representation of the terrain, and lays the ground for future innovative work in the discipline. The Handbook contains valuable contributions on the history of the discipline, and it shows how the field is relevant to rigorous research in many areas of contemporary philosophy and relevant to clinical practice. Readers of the volume will be convinced that the philosophy of psychiatry is an enduring and deeply rewarding area of interdisciplinary study. * Gary J. Gala, and Daniel D. Moseley, Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill *The publication of The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry is a useful marker of the growth of this field and its establishment as an important and flourishing part of philosophy. But it has more than symbolic meaning; it will be a resource that professionals both in philosophy and other areas of study turn to for a variety of purposes. * Christian Perring, Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York; Metapsychology Online Reviews *Table of ContentsSECTION ONE: HISTORY; SECTION TWO: CONTEXTS OF CARE; SECTION THREE: ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS; SECTION FOUR: SUMMONING CONCEPTS; SECTION FIVE: DESCRIPTIVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY; SECTION SIX: ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES; SECTION SEVEN: EXPLANATION AND UNDERSTANDING; SECTION EIGHT: CURE AND CARE

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Book Synopsis'This erudite and heartfelt survey reminds us that the need for consolation is timeless, as are the inspiring words and examples of those who walked this path before us.' - Toronto StarAs read on BBC Radio 4's 'Book of the Week', a timely, moving and profound exploration of how writers, composers and artists have searched for solace while facing loss, tragedy and crisis, from the historian and Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Michael Ignatieff.When we lose someone we love, when we suffer loss or defeat, when catastrophe strikes – war, famine, pandemic – we go in search of consolation. Once the province of priests and philosophers, the language of consolation has largely vanished from our modern vocabulary, and the places where it was offered, houses of religion, are often empty. Rejecting the solace of ancient religious texts, humanity since the sixteenth century has increasingly placed its faith in science, ideology, and the therapeutic.How do we console each other and ourselves in an age of unbelief? In a series of portraits of writers, artists, and musicians searching for consolation – from the books of Job and Psalms to Albert Camus, Anna Akhmatova, and Primo Levi – writer and historian Michael Ignatieff shows how men and women in extremity have looked to each other across time to recover hope and resilience. Recreating the moments when great figures found the courage to confront their fate and the determination to continue unafraid, On Consolation takes those stories into the present, movingly contending that we can revive these traditions of consolation to meet the anguish and uncertainties of the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewIlluminating and moving, these wide-ranging portraits of men and women seeking answers in dark times - from the Book of Job to Montaigne, from Cicero to Akhmatova, and on to today's palliative care - appeal to us all, as a universal quest and an intimate personal testament. -- Jenny Uglow, author of Mr. Lear: A Life of Art and NonsenseAn extraordinary meditation on loss and mortality - drawing on all of Michael Ignatieff’s powers as a philosopher, a historian, a politician and a man. His portraits of figures such as Hume and Montaigne are sharp and dignified, troubling and consoling, thoughtful and deeply humane. -- Rory Stewart, author of The Places in BetweenReading this book is like taking a walk along a winding path with a dear friend and sharing life’s travails. But the friend keeps metamorphosing - into Montaigne or Marx or Mahler, Anna Akhmatova or Albert Camus. At the end, you feel enlivened, fortified, and somehow just a little wiser. This is a bold, brilliant, and yes, moving book. -- Lisa Appignanesi, author of Everyday Madness: On Grief, Anger, Loss and LoveIn an age when we are so much in need of solace, Michael Ignatieff went looking for it in texts and times whose assumptions are profoundly different from our own. The result is a secular reinterpretation of a landscape that has often seemed visible only through a religious lens: it is elegant, humane and intensely rewarding. -- Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies that Bind: Rethinking IdentityIt is at once illuminating, moving and consoling, to follow Michael Ignatieff as he searches for moments of consolation across the centuries. With resolute honesty Ignatieff follows the search into his own inner life, grappling, as we all must do, with failure, loss, and death. -- Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became ModernThis is an extraordinarily moving book. The idea of solidarity in time is itelf consoling, amidst so much loss: in Ignatieff’s words, “we are not alone, and we never have been”. -- Emma Rothschild, author of The Inner Life of EmpiresA wonderful balance of literary survey and personal reflection, this book is wide-ranging, moving, and stylishly written. It makes the perfect introduction to a genre that never goes out of fashion. -- Sarah Bakewell, author of How to Live and At the Existentialist CaféA passionate, thought-provoking, unpredictable book. -- Carlo Ginzburg, author of Threads and TracesOn Consolation is splendidly immune to the panics of our age. Written with eloquence in an affecting spirit of humility by a man of uncommon intelligence, for many of its readers this book will be—is there any higher praise for a study of this subject?—useful. -- Leon Wieseltier, author of KaddishHuman problems are like crystals: they have so many faces that they must be turned over and around many times in order to see every side. Michael Ignatieff’s ruminative On Consolation does that artfully. Reading his memorable portraits of historical figures who needed, sought, lost, or found consolation leaves the reader with a deeper appreciation of the profound challenges and possibilities that life lays before every one of us. -- Mark Lilla, author of The Reckless MindAn inspiration for those in need of words to carry on with life. * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisMirroring Brains combines neuroscience, psychology and philosophy to provide a comprehensive account of one of the most intriguing discoveries of the last 30 years--the discovery of mirror neurons. These neurons are characterized by firing both when someone performs an action, and also when they observe the same action being performed by others. Whereas it was widely regarded as characteristic of only a small subset of neurons, recent discoveries have shown that the mirror property is a fundamental principle of the functioning of the whole brain. Exploring this discovery, Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia explain how we are able to immediately understand others'' actions and emotions, providing a deeper understanding of how we relate to each other and introducing the idea of ''understanding from the inside''.Mirroring Brains provides a new interpretation of the property and function of mirror neurons, allowing readers an insight into a fundamental principle of brain function. Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia provide a rich survey of the main neuronal and psychological findings concerning the mirror mechanism, plus an extensive discussion of its potential role in social cognition. It is an essential read for neuroscientists, psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, and anyone who is interested in understanding how we relate to each other.Table of Contents1: A Mirroring Brain 2: Actions 3: Emotions 4: Vitality Forms 5: Mirroring and Understanding 6: Understanding from the Inside

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Book SynopsisA brilliant distillation of the key ideas behind successful self-improvement practices throughout history, showing us how they remain relevant todayTrade Review“Schaffner finds more in contemporary self-improvement literature to admire than criticize...Picking out these genealogies lies at the heart of Schaffner’s revelatory book.”—Kathryn Hughes, Times Literary Supplement"In a world where cynicism is too easy and 'self-help' can be pejorative, this erudite historical analysis is truly precious, affirming the intellectual dignity of the human desire to become better versions of ourselves.”—Jonathan Rowson, author of The Moves That Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life “Through her keen and sensitive reading of everything from Lao Tzu to Frozen, Schaffner demonstrates that the heart of human wisdom is the faith that we can improve. This book is erudite, engaging, and elegant—a wonderful read.”—Jonathan Malesic, author of The End of Burnout“With astonishing and entertaining excerpts from the literatures of self-improvement and virtue from Western and Eastern systems of philosophy, and with fine pacing throughout, this book is a formidable contribution to the literature on self-improvement practices. The breadth and depth of the research is staggering.”—Micki McGee, Fordham University“This book is informative, comprehensive, and entertaining; while including history and research, Schaffner adds terrific interpretations of Disney and Nietzsche! It’s a necessary book for our Zeitgeist, adding ‘why’ and ‘how’ to Rilke’s poetic line: ‘You must change your life.’”—Scott Haas, author of Why Be Happy?: The Japanese Way of Acceptance “With remarkable range, this fascinating book brings alive new worlds of self-relations. It is inspiring both academically and personally.”—Greta Wagner, Technical University of Darmstadt

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Book SynopsisThis book, whose original French edition achieved worldwide attention when its author died trying to save two children caught in a riptide, challenges the psychic work the modern world devotes to avoiding risk. Weaving psychoanalytic case studies together with philosophical reflections, Dufourmantelle shows how risk is an essential property of life, one that requires our embrace.Table of ContentsTranslator’s Introduction: The Risk of Reading | ix To Risk One’s Life | 1 Eurydice Saved | 4 Minuscule Magical Dependencies | 8 Voluntary Servitude and Disobedience | 11 In Suspense | 13 At the Risk of Passion | 17 Leaving the Family | 22 Forgetting, Anamnesis, Deliverance | 24 Incurable (In)fidelities | 29 Zero Risk? | 33 How (Not) to Become Oneself . . . | 36 Being in Secret | 39 Befriending Our Fears | 41 At the Risk of Being Sad | 46 At the Risk of Being Free | 49 The Time They Call Lost | 52 Dead Alive | 55 Of a Perception Infinitely Vaster . . . | 59 Anxiety, Lack—Spiritual Hunger? | 63 Farewell Magic World: Beyond Disappointment | 67 Life—Mine, Yours | 70 At the Risk of the Unknown | 72 At the Risk of Being Carnal | 74 May There Be an End to Our Torment . . . | 79 Breaking Up | 82 At the Risk of Speech | 86 Solitudes | 89 Laughter, Dreaming—Beyond the Impasse | 93 Hope No More | 101 Once Upon a Time, the “Athenaeum” . . . or, Why Risk Romanticism? | 106 Risking Belief | 111 Risking Variation | 114 The Event: Hyperpresence | 119 Intimate Prophecy | 122 At the Risk of Bedazzlement | 127 Desire, Body, Writing | 130 Healing? | 139 An Other Language | 142 Risking Scandal | 145 Taking the Risk of Childhood | 148 Assiduity | 151 Risking the Future | 154 At the Risk of Beauty | 158 At the Risk of Spirit | 162 Risking the Universal? | 164 Hauntings | 167 Spirals, Ellipses, Metaphors, Anamorphoses | 170 Envisaging Night | 173 Revolutions | 176 At the Risk of Going Through Hell (Eurydice) | 180 Notes | 187

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Book SynopsisThis unique book is about freeing psychology's poetic imagination from the dead weight of unconscious assumptions about the soul. Whether we think of the soul scientifically or medically, behaviourally or in terms of inner development, all of us are used to thinking of it in an individual context, as something personal. In this book, however, we are asked to consider psychology from a truly transpersonal perspective as a cultural, universal-human phenomenon.Cobb teaches us to look at the world as a record of the soul's struggles to awaken and as the soul's poetry. From this perspective, the real basis of the mind is poetic. Beauty, love, and creativity are as much instincts of the soul as sexuality or hunger. Cobb shows us how artists and mystics can teach us the meaning of love, death, and beauty, if only we can awaken to their creations. The exemplars here are Dante, Rumi, Rilke, Munch, Lorca, Schumann, and Tarkovsky.Trade Review'Archetypal Imagination finds wonderful new ways to bless psychopathology. Rich with good learning and clear writing."-- James Hillman, author of The Soul's Code'I like Noel Cobb's outcries on behalf of ferocity, loneliness, anxiety, "the hideous hag of life", beauty sitting in the lap of terror, Edvard Munch's paintings and Garcia Lorca's panther-like poems -- let's have more.'-- Robert Bly, author of Iron John and The Sibling Society'In this richly stuffed book, Cobb takes psychology to the threshold and invites it into the world, where the artist is bold enough to live, where its language may have more life and its images more independence.'-- Thomas Moore, author of The Care of the Soul and Original Self: Living with Paradox and Originality

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisPerception and Idealism examines how perception makes objects manifest to us, and what the world must be like for objects to be manifest in that way. Howard Robinson argues for a version of sense-datum theory about perception and theistic phenomenalism about metaphysical reality.Trade ReviewRobinson's book is clearly and beautifully written, and argumentatively persuasive ... a refreshing blast of curative air breathed into the dank enclosures of Direct Realism, Disjunctivism and Reductive Representationalism. * David Pitt, California State University, Los Angeles *Robinson argues for a kind of idealism, providing well-organized, well-documented discussions of both early modern and recent philosophers' views on the nature of perception and its relationship to the world. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: How the World Manifests Itself to Us 1: The Causal Argument for Sense-Data, 'Philosophers' Hallucinations', and the Disjunctive Response 2: Naïve Realism and the Argument from Illusion 3: Intentionality and Perception (I): The Fundamental irrelevance of Intentionality to Phenomenal Consciousness 4: Intentionality and Perception (II): Attempts to Articulate the 'Content' and 'Object' Distinction 5: Singular Reference and its Relation to Intentionality 6: Objectivity: How is It Possible? 7: Semantic Direct Realism, Critical Realism, and the Sense-Datum Theory 8: Building the Manifest World Part II: What the World Is, in Itself 9: The Problematic Nature of the Modern Conception of Matter 10: Two Suggestive Berkeleyan Arguments 11: Bishop Berkeley and John Foster on Problems with Physical Realism about Space 12: Mentalist Alternatives to Berkeleyan Theism, and their Failure General Conclusion

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Book SynopsisMark Richard presents an original picture of meaning according to which a word''s meaning is analogous to the biological lineages we call species. His primary thesis is that a word''s meaning - in the sense of what one needs to track in order to be a competent speaker - is the collection of assumptions its users make in using it and expect their hearers to recognize as being made. Meaning is something that is spread across a population, inherited by each new generation of speakers from the last, and typically evolving in so far as what constitutes a meaning changes in virtue of the interactions of speakers with their (linguistic and social) environment. Meanings as Species develops and defends the analogy between the biological and the linguistic, and includes a discussion of the senses in which the processes of meaning change are and are not like evolution via natural selection. Richard argues that thinking of meanings as species supports Quine''s insights about analyticity without reTable of ContentsIntroduction 1: Quine and the Species Problem 2: Internalism to the Rescue? 3: What Are Meanings, that We Might Share Them? 4: Conceptual Evolution 5: Meaning, Thought, and its Ascription 6: Sex and Conversation Coda Bibliography

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Book SynopsisJ.S. Mill famously equated physical things with permanent possibilities of sensation. This view, known as phenomenalism, holds that a rock is a tendency for experiences to occur as they do when people perceive a rock, and similarly for all other physical things. In Phenomenalism, Michael Pelczar develops Mill''s theory in detail, defends it against the objections responsible for its current unpopularity, and uses it to shed light on important questions in metaphysics, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of mind. Identifying physical things with possibilities of sensation establishes a transparent connection between the world of physics and the world of sense, provides an attractive alternative to currently fashionable structuralist and panpsychist metaphysics, offers a fresh perspective on the problem of consciousness, and yields a satisfying theory of perception, all by taking two things notoriously resistant to reduction, chance and experience, and constructing everything eTrade ReviewThe text is clearly written, elegant in its presentation, and effectively implements all the tools of the analytic philosopher. * Choice *Table of Contents1: The World as Hypertext 2: Mill's Metaphysics 3: A Signal in the Noise 4: Possibilities for What? 5: What Kind of Possibility? 6: A Revealing Correspondence 7: Phenomenalism and Science 8: Phenomenalism and Consciousness 9: A Phenomenalist Theory of Perception 10: Choose Your Own Adventure Appendix: Defining Spacetime Relations

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewNeuroethics is hot but also complicated and controversial. How can inquisitive non-specialists learn enough to understand this growing field? Joshua May has provided a perfect solution. Just read this book. May's overview is balanced and fair, stimulating and careful, profound and practical, concise and convincing * Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Chauncey Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics in the Department of Philosophy, the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Department, and Law School, Duke University *Joshua May has written the book we need: a comprehensive and persuasive examination of some of the most fascinating and significant issues that confront us today. Accessible without sacrificing careful argument, and filled with gripping case studies, it's an excellent introduction to neuroethics that is also a book that will be valuable to the specialist. * Neil Levy, Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics *This is the book I have been seeking for my neuroethics course! Philosophy, pre-law, and science students alike will delight in May's real-life case studies and discussions of the brain science relevant to pressing philosophical problems. In the end, May encourages us to be suspicious of the idea that there are "neurotypical" versus "atypical" brains. Brains exist on a continuum: we ought to focus on our neurological similarities and not our differences. * Katrina L. Sifferd, Genevieve Staudt Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Elmhurst University and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuroethics *Neuroethics explores complex concepts in a way that is accessible to students and non-experts. It is accompanied by online resources, including materials designed for undergraduate courses. * Dr Rebecca Nesbit, The Biologist *Neuroethics explores complex concepts in a way that is accessible to students and non-experts. It is accompanied by online resources, including materials designed for undergraduate courses. * Dr Rebecca Nesbit, The Biologist *This is a crucial volume for those studying the philosophy of mind, ethics, neuroscience, cognitive science, psychiatry, and psychology. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Part I: Introduction 1: Ethics Meets Neuroscience Part II: Autonomy 2: Free Will 3: Manipulating Brains Part III: Care 4: Mental Disorder 5: Addiction Part IV: Character 6: Moral Judgment 7: Moral Enhancement Part V: Justice 8: Motivated Reasoning 9: Brain Reading Part VI: Conclusion 10: Nuanced Neuroethics References Index

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Book SynopsisRuth Garrett Millikan presents a highly original account of cognition - of how we get to grips with the world in thought. The question at the heart of her book is Kant''s ''How is knowledge possible?'', but answered from a contemporary naturalist standpoint. The starting assumption is that we are evolved creatures that use cognition as a guide in dealing with the natural world, and that the natural world is roughly as natural science has tried to describe it. Very unlike Kant, then, we must begin with ontology, with a rough understanding of what the world is like prior to cognition, only later developing theories about the nature of cognition within that world and how it manages to reflect the rest of nature. And in trying to get from ontology to cognition we must traverse another non-Kantian domain: questions about the transmission of information both through natural signs and through purposeful signs including, especially, language. Millikan makes a number of innovations. Central to the book is her introduction of the ideas of unitrackers and unicepts, whose job is to recognize the same again as manifested through the jargon of experience. She offers a direct reference theory for common nouns and other extensional terms; a naturalist sketch of conceptual development; a theory of natural information and of language function that shows how properly functioning language carries natural information; a novel description of the semantics/pragmatics distinction; a discussion of perception as translation from natural informational signs; new descriptions of indexicals, demonstratives and intensional contexts; and a new analysis of the reference of incomplete descriptions.Trade ReviewBeyond Concepts is an impressive work of systematic philosophy. * Mikio Akagi, The Philosophical Quarterly *This book is a great philosophical achievement. The breadth and originality of Millikan's view are remarkable. She shows how a naturalistic approach can provide a fresh perspective on central philosophical puzzles and puts forward several new ideas that will engender lively debates. The systematic character of her work is especially impressive - Millikan tackles many different themes, but the various components of her account fit together beautifully and mutually support each other. This book has much to offer to both those already familiar with her work and new readers. * Andrea Onofri, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Brilliant. * Geoffrey Pullum, Chronicle of Higher Education *Table of ContentsPart I 0: Introduction to Part I 1: A Clumpy World 2: Direct Reference for Extensional Terms 3: Introducing Unitrackers and Unicepts 4: Functions of Same-Tracking 5: How Unicepts Get Their Referents 6: Misrepresentation, Redundancy, Equivocity, Emptiness (and Swampman) 7: Some Implications Part II 8: Introduction to Part II 9: Indexicals and Self-Signs 10: An Anatomy of Signs 11: Infosigns and Natural Information 12: Intentional Signs 13: Linguistic Signs 14: Perception, Especially Perception through Language 15: Markers of Identity and Grounded Infosigns 16: Out-side Pragmatics: Descriptions, Quantifiers, Directives Glossary

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Book SynopsisWhat is the difference between the movements in our bodies we cause personally ourselves, such as the movements of our legs or our lips when we walk or speak, and the movements we do not cause personally, such as the contraction of the heart? Is an act that is done under duress done voluntarily, out of choice? Should duress exculpate a defendant completely, or should it merely mitigate the criminality of an act? When we explain an intentional act by stating our reasons for doing it, do we explain it causally or teleologically, or both? Should we care whether our choices are guided by knowledge or mere true belief?In Action, Knowledge, and Will, John Hyman explores these and other central problems in the philosophy of action and the theory of knowledge, and connects these areas of enquiry in a new way. The main premise of the book is that human action has four irreducibly different dimensions, each with its own family of concepts: - a physical dimension, in which the principal concepts Trade ReviewAction, Knowledge, and Will is a splendid book--insightful, original, elegantly written and carefully edited, and a genuine pleasure to read. John Hyman weaves strands of historical, legal, empirical, and conceptual analysis into a series of arguments that are fresh and exciting at every turn. * John Schwenkler, Australasian Journal of Philosophy *John Hyman is one of the most creative and wide-ranging philosophers working today. * Kieran Setiya, MIT *With this book, John Hyman has done more for action theory than anyone in the field since Anscombe. His arguments in support of the thesis that human agency is best conceived as the integration of four dimensions presents a new picture that, in time, will change the way everyone thinks about human action. * Dennis Patterson, Jurisprudence *[T]he most important treatment of action since Anscombe and Davidson ... It takes the traditional question whether we should give a physical, ethical, psychological or intellectual account of human action and stands it on its head. For Hyman argues that the real question is how to distinguish the physical, the ethical, the psychological and the intellectual dimensions of human action, and he thereby changes the landscape in the philosophy of action. * Evgenia Mylonaki, Philosophical Quarterly *John Hyman brilliantly tackles a problem that has rankled since Plato: what is involved when we voluntarily perform an action? "The will", he argues, has been made too much of a catch-all of the various dimensions of human agency -- physical, psychological, ethical and intellectual. Philosophy is all about fine distinctions. Here they are made acutely yet accessibly to give us a new picture of who we are. * Jane O'Grady, The Tablet, Books of the Year *John Hyman's new book is a masterful blend of the philosophy of action and epistemology. In it he seeks not only to realign the philosophy of action, but to turn epistemology -- at least, that part of it that is concerned with the nature of knowledge -- into a part of the philosophy of action. ... Hyman's book is an invitation to a radical new research programme in epistemology. I hope that others join him in working it out. * Analysis *How could knowledge be even better for us than true beliefs that we have good reason to accept? John Hyman answers this question in Action, Knowledge, and Will. It is by no means the only question he answers in this rich, delightful book. He reaches fresh, insightful conclusions about human action and thought by attending to connections between questions usually treated separately. He explains and defends those conclusions sharply and carefully, with admirable regard for what the words involved in the question actually mean. * Barry Stroud, Times Literary Supplement *[A] vast improvement over the anti-psychologistic accounts of reasons-explanations that have proliferated in recent years. It both allows us to emphasize reasons why as facts that favor actions while allowing us to include an agent's psychological states in genuine reasons-explanations. ... While he challenges many widely endorsed views in contemporary philosophy of action, Hyman does not adopt an unprincipled contrarian stance. Rather, he strikes me as a friendly critic, offering ways to correct mistakes philosophers have made in the past three hundred years. * Andrei A. Buckareff, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsPreface 1: Agency and the Will 2: Action and Integration 3: Acts and Events 4: Voluntariness and Choice 5: Desire and Intention 6: Reason and Knowledge 7: Knowledge as an Ability 8: The Road to Larissa Appendix: The Modern Theory of the Will Endnotes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisWhat is it for you to be conscious? There is no agreement whatever in philosophy or science: it has remained a hard problem, a mystery. Is this partly or mainly owed to the existing theories not even having the same subject, not answering the same question? In Actual Consciousness, Ted Honderich sets out to supersede dualisms, objective physicalisms, abstract functionalism, externalisms, and other positions in the debate. He argues that the theory of Actualism, right or wrong, is unprecedented, in nine ways. (1) It begins from gathered data and proceeds to an adequate initial clarification of consciousness in the primary ordinary sense. This consciousness is summed up as something''s being actual. (2) Like basic science, Actualism proceeds from this metaphorical or figurative beginning to what is wholly literal and explicit--constructed answers to the questions of what is actual and what it is for it to be actual. (3) In so doing, the theory respects the differences of consciousness wiTrade ReviewI admire Honderich's insightful self-reflective re-examination of the facts of consciousness as he perceives them . . . That Honderich's discussion of actual consciousness opens so many avenues for philosophical exploration is the measure of its success and likely long-lasting contribution to the study and understanding of consciousness. The book is highly recommended for its topic, approach and new perspectives on the challenging problem of adequately understanding consciousness in a scientific philosophy of mind. For those with minimal objection to countenancing as many actualities as there are perceiving minds, then the subjective actuality of consciousness may have found an ideal situation in Honderich's theory of actual consciousness. * Dale Jacquette, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *Honderich's thought in Actual Consciousness is as always entirely accessible . . . For its genre this is an unusual book, not least, though engagingly, for the virtually "actual" presence of its author on every page. Honderich's checklists and their interrelations should provide themes for many seminars to come. * Alastair Hannay, Philosophy *This audacious venture should certainly be praised . . . good philosophy presses readers to think for themselves, and Actual Consciousness gives us much food for thought. * Roberta Locatelli, Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1: Need for an Adequate Initial Clarification 2: Five Leading Ideas About Consciousness 3: Something's Being Actual 4: Dualisms, Functionalisms, Consciousness-Criteria 5: Other Consciousness Theories, Criteria Again 6: What It Is To Be Objectively Physical 7: Perceptual Consciousness--What Is and Isn't Actual 8: Perceptual Consciousness--Being Actual Is Being Subjectively Physical 9: Cognitive and Affective Consciousness--Theories, and What Is And Isn't Actual 10: Cognitive and Affective Consciousness--Being Actual is Being Differently Subjectively Physical 11: Conclusions Past and Present Bibliography Index

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